U.S. patent number 5,152,779 [Application Number 07/530,643] was granted by the patent office on 1992-10-06 for forceps instrument.
This patent grant is currently assigned to Olympus Optical Co., Ltd.. Invention is credited to Kenichiro Sanagi.
United States Patent |
5,152,779 |
Sanagi |
October 6, 1992 |
**Please see images for:
( Certificate of Correction ) ** |
Forceps instrument
Abstract
An operating portion of an forceps instrument having a slider
slidably mounted on an operating body; a holding member divided
into two parts for holding an end of an operating wire; and a
fixing means for fixing the holding member to the slider. No
surplus force is exerted on the holding member during its
assembly.
Inventors: |
Sanagi; Kenichiro (Hachioji,
JP) |
Assignee: |
Olympus Optical Co., Ltd.
(Tokyo, JP)
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Family
ID: |
26359493 |
Appl.
No.: |
07/530,643 |
Filed: |
May 30, 1990 |
Foreign Application Priority Data
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Aug 11, 1989 [JP] |
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1-94776[U] |
Mar 6, 1990 [JP] |
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2-22301[U] |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
606/205;
600/564 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A61B
17/2909 (20130101); A61B 2017/2905 (20130101); A61B
2017/292 (20130101) |
Current International
Class: |
A61B
17/28 (20060101); A61B 017/28 (); A61B
017/32 () |
Field of
Search: |
;606/206,205,113,167,127
;128/751 |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Foreign Patent Documents
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58-27540 |
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Feb 1983 |
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JP |
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58-160010 |
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Oct 1983 |
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JP |
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Primary Examiner: Thaler; Michael H.
Attorney, Agent or Firm: Kenyon & Kenyon
Claims
What is claimed is:
1. A forceps instrument comprising:
a flexible sheath having a distal end and a proximal end;
a treating portion provided at the distal end of the flexible
sheath;
an operating body provided at the proximal end of the flexible
sheath;
a slider slidably mounted on the operating body and having an inner
surface to form a receiving portion;
an operating wire having one end and the outer end, the operating
wire being connected at the one end to the treating portion and
having at the other end a stopper to be connected to the slider
whereby the heating portion is operated by advance and retreat
movement of the slider;
a holding member formed of a non-metallic material for holding the
stopper of the operating wire, the holding member being divided
into two separate parts and having a surface to be fitted in the
inner surface of the slider, the holding member being provided at
one end thereof with male threads to be engaged with the receiving
portion by screw connection; and
fixing means for fixing the holding member to the receiving portion
of the slider, the fixing means engaging the inner surface of the
slider with the holding member by screw connection.
2. The forceps instrument of claim 1, wherein the two parts of the
holding member have boundary surfaces where the stopper of the
operating wire hold, and the holding member is provided in at least
one of the boundary surfaces with a path for guiding the operating
wire and a cutout portion communication with the path for receiving
the stopper of the operating wire.
3. The forceps instrument of claim 1, wherein the operating body is
provided with a slit in the axial direction thereof, and the
operating wire and the holding member are connected to each other
in the slit.
4. The forceps instrument of claim 1, wherein the two separate
parts of the holding member each have proximal ends and are
connected to each other by a bendable connecting portion at the
proximal ends of the parts.
5. A forceps instrument comprising:
a flexible sheath having a distal end and a proximal end;
a treating portion provided at the distal end of the flexible
sheath;
an operating body provided at the proximal end of the flexible
sheath;
a slider slidably mounted on the operating body and having an inner
surface to form a receiving portion;
an operating wire having one end and the other end, the operating
wire being connected at the one end to the treating portion and
having at the other end a stopper to be connected to the slider
whereby the treating portion is operated by advance and retreat
movement of the slider, the slider being divided into two parts to
form two receiving portions;
a holding member formed of a non-metallic material for holding the
stopper of the operating wire, the holding member being divided
into two separate parts and having a surface to be fited in the
inner surface of the slider, the holding member being provided a
both ends thereof with male threads to be engaged with the
receiving portions by screw connection; and
fixing means for fixing the holding member to the receiving portion
of the slider, the fixing means engaging the inner surface of the
slider with the holding member by screw connection.
6. A forceps instrument comprising:
a flexible sheath having a distal end and a proximal end;
a treating portion provided at the distal end of the flexible
sheath;
an operating body provided at the proximal end of the flexible
sheath;
a slider slidably mounted on the operating body and having an inner
surface to form a receiving portion;
an operating wire having one end and the other end, the operating
wire being connected at the one end to the treating portion and
having a the other end a stopper to be connected to the slider
whereby the treating portion is operated by advance and retreat
movement of the slider;
a holding member formed of a non-metallic material or holding the
stopper of the operating wire, the holding member being divided
into two separate parts and having an outer periphery and a surface
to be fited in the inner surface of the slider; and
fixing means for fixing the holding member to the receiving portion
the slider, the fixing means comprises:
a protruding portion provided on the outer periphery of the holding
member;
a contacting surface provided on the inner periphery of the slider
for contacting to the protrude portion of the holding member;
female threads provided on the inner surface of the slider; and
a securing member to be engaged with the female threads of the
slider by screw connection,
whereby the holding member is fixed to the receiving portion by
inserting the holding member into the receiving portion, engaging
the securing member with the female threads, and contacting the
protruding portion of the holding member to the contacting
surface.
7. A forceps instrument comprising:
a flexible sheath having a distal end and a proximal end;
a treating portion provided at the distal end of the flexible
sheath;
an operating body provided at the proximal end of the flexible
sheath;
a slider slidably mounted on the operating body and having an inner
surface to form a receiving portion;
an operating wire having one end and the other end, the operating
wire being connected at the eh one end to the treating portion and
having tat the other end a stopper to be connected to the slider
whereby the treating portion is operated by advance and retreat
movement of the slider;
a holding member for holding the stopper of the operating wire, the
holding member being provided at one end thereof with male threads
to be engaged with the receiving portion by screw connection and
comprising:
two parts and having a surface to be fitted in the inner surface of
the slider; and
fixing means for fixing the holding member to the receiving potion
of the slider, the fixing means engaging the inner surface of the
slider with the holding member by screw connection.
8. A forceps instrument comprising:
a flexible sheath having a distal end and a proximal end;
a treating portion provided at the distal end of the flexible
sheath;
an operating body provided at the proximal end of the flexible
sheath;
a slider slidably mounted on the operating body and having an inner
surface to form a receiving portion, the slider being divided into
two parts to form tow receiving portions and the holding member
being provided at both ends thereof with male threads to be engaged
with the receiving portions by screw connection;
an operating wire having one end and the other end, the operating
wire being connected at the one end to the treating portion nd
having at the other end a stopper to be connected to the slider
whereby the treating portion is operated by advance and retreat
movement of the slider;
a holding member for holding the stopper of the operating wire, the
holding member comprising two parts and having a surface to be
fitted in the inner surface of the slider; and
fixing means for fixing the holding member to the reeving portion
of the slider, the fixing mean engaging the inner surface of the
slider with the holding member by screw connection.
9. A forceps instrument comprising:
a flexible sheath having a distal end and a proximal end;
a treating portion provided a the distal end of the flexible
sheath;
and operating body provided at the proximal end of the flexible
sheath;
a slider slidably mounted on the operating body and having an inner
surface to form a receiving portion;
an operating wire having one end and the other end, the operating
wire being connected at the one end to the treating portion and
having at the other end a stopper to be connected to the slider
whereby the heating portion is operated by advance and retreat
movement of the slider;
a holding member for holding the stopper of the operating wire, the
holding member comprising two parts and having an outer periphery
and a surface to be flitted in the inner surface of the slider;
and
fixing means for fixing the holding member to the receiving portion
of of the slider, the fixing means comprises:
a protruding portion provided to the outer periphery of the holding
member;
a contacting surface provided on the inner periphery of the slider
for contacting to the protruding potion of the holding member;
female threads provided on the inner surface of the slider; and
a securing member to be engaged with the female threads of the
slider by screw connection,
whereby the holding member is fixed to the receiving portion by
inserting the holding member into the receiving portion, engaging
the securing member with the female threads, and contacting the
protruding portion of the holding member to the contacting surface.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a forceps instrument, such as a biopsy
forceps and a grasping forceps, and more particularly to an
operating portion of a forceps instrument.
2. Description of Related Art
As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, an operating portion 3 of a conventional
forceps instrument disclosed in Japanese Laid-Open Utility Model
Application, Publication No. 58-160010 includes a flexible sheath
1; an operating wire 22 passing through the flexible sheath 1 for
operating a treating portion 2 provided at the distal end of the
flexible sheath 1; an operating body 10 provided at the proximal
end of the flexible sheath 1; and a slider 12 slidably mounted on
the outer periphery of the operating body 10. A holding plate 14
receiving a stopper 24 at the proximal end of the operating wire 22
is inserted into a slit portion 30 of the operating body 10, and
the holding plate 14 is fitted into the slider 12 from the state
shown in FIG. 3.
In this operating portion 3, in order to prevent the stopper 24
from being drawn out from the holding plate 14, an open portion 15
at the distal end of the holding plate 14 is closed in the slider
12 under a compressive force. Thus, after the operating portion 3
is assembled, the holding plate 14 is always under a radial
compressive force. Moreover, when the slider 12 is slided by
exerting a force, the force is also exerted on the holding plate 14
so that the holding plate 14 is susceptible to breakage in the
vicinity of the bottom of its opening 15. Further, since the
holding plate 14 is thinner than the slit portion 30 so as to be
inserted into the slit portion 30, the force from the slider 12
will be concentrated on an area without being dispersed, which is
also a cause of breakage.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
A main object of the present invention is to provide a forceps
instrument with an operating portion which is not broken when a
strong force is exerted on its slider.
Another object of the invention is to provide a forceps instrument
with an operating portion in which a surplus force is not exerted
on a holding member connecting the proximal end of an operating
wire to a slider when the operating portion is assembled.
A further object of the invention is to provide a forceps
instrument with an operating portion which can be easily assembled
and taken apart.
These objects of the invention are attained by a forceps instrument
comprising a flexible sheath having a distal end and a proximal
end; a treating portion provided at the distal end of the flexible
sheath; an operating body provided at the proximal end of the
flexible sheath; a slider slidably mounted on the operating body
and having an inner surface to form a receiving portion; an
operating wire connected at one end thereof to the treating portion
and having at the other end thereof a stopper to be connected to
the slider whereby the treating portion is operated by advance and
retreat movement of the slider; a holding member for holding the
stopper of the operating wire, the holding member comprising two
parts and having a surface to be fitted in the inner surface of the
slider; and fixing means for fixing the holding member to the
receiving portion of the slider.
Further, an forceps operating portion according to the present
invention comprises an operating body with a slit formed in the
axial direction thereof; and a holding member inserted in the slit
for holding an end of a wire, the holding member being fixed to a
slider without exerting a load on the holding member in a direction
perpendicular to the axial direction thereof.
According to the present invention, no surplus force is exerted on
the holding member during its assembly, so that the holding member
will not be broken even if the slider is moved with a strong
force.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a partial sectional view showing an operating portion of
a conventional forceps instrument.
FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view along line II--II of FIG. 1.
FIG. 3 is a partial sectional view showing the pre-assembly state
of the conventional forceps instrument shown in FIG. 1.
FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a forceps instrument according to a
first embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 5 is a partial sectional view showing an operating portion and
a treating portion of the forceps instrument according to the first
embodiment.
FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view along line VI--VI of FIG. 5.
FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view along line VII--VII of FIG. 5.
FIG. 8 is a perspective view of the taken-apart operating portion
of the forceps instrument according to the first embodiment with
certain parts cut off.
FIG. 9 is a partial sectional view of an operating portion of a
forceps instrument according to a second embodiment of the present
invention.
FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view along line X--X of FIG. 9.
FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view along line XI--XI of FIG. 9.
FIG. 12 is a cross-sectional view along line XII--XII of FIG.
9.
FIG. 13 is a partial sectional view of an operating portion of a
forceps instrument according to a third embodiment of the present
invention.
FIG. 14 is a partial sectional view of an operating portion of a
forceps instrument according to a fourth embodiment of the present
invention.
FIG. 15 is a sectional view of a holding member of an operating
portion of a forceps instrument according to a fifth embodiment of
the present invention.
FIG. 16 is a partial sectional view showing the operating portion
of the forceps instrument according to the fifth embodiment.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
Referring to FIGS. 4 to 8, a forceps instrument of a first
embodiment of the present invention is described.
FIG. 4 shows a forceps instrument as a whole. The forceps
instrument comprises a flexible sheath 1 formed by a stainless
steel coil or a Teflon (trademark) tube; a treating portion 2 at
the distal end of the sheath 1; an operating portion 3 at the
proximal end of the sheath 1; and an operating wire (not shown)
passing through the sheath 1 from the operating portion 3 to the
treating portion 2. The movement of the operating portion 3 is
transmitted to the treating portion 2 via the operating wire to
operate a treating member, such as a biopsy forceps, at the
treating portion 2.
FIGS. 5 to 8 show the detail of the operating portion of the
forceps instrument shown in FIG. 4. The operating portion 3 mainly
includes an operating body 10 at the proximal end of the flexible
sheath 1, and a slider 12 slidable along the outer periphery of the
operating body 10. A holding member divided into two parts 14a and
14b in its axial direction is inserted between the operating body
10 and the slider 12. The holding member 14a and 14b is formed by
semi ring portions 18a and 18b with male threads on their outer
peripheries, and a fitting portions 20a and 20b formed integrally
with the inner periphery of the semi ring portions 18a and 18b and
to be fitted in a slit portion 30 of the operating body 10. The
upper and lower semi ring portions 18a and 18b are of the same
shape, but the upper and lower fitting portions 20a and 20b are
slightly different in the shape of their proximal ends. the upper
fitting portion 20a is substantially L-shaped with its tip pointing
downward while the proximal end of the lower fitting portion 20b is
in the form of an elongated plate. These upper and lower fitting
portions 20a and 20b have approximately at their middle position
cutout portions 26 for receiving and holding a stopper 24 when both
parts 14a and 14b of the holding member are brought into contact
with each other as described below. The stopper 24 is provided at
the proximal end of the operating wire 22 and has a diameter larger
than that of the operating wire 22. Grooves 28 having semicircular
cross sections for receiving the operating wire 22 are provided in
the boundary surfaces of the upper and lower fitting portions 20a
and 20b between the cutout portions 26 and the distal ends of the
fitting portions 20a and 20b. The thickness of the fitting portions
20a and 20b is smaller than the width of the slit portion 30 formed
in the operating body 10. As shown in FIG. 6, the operating body 10
has semicircular cross sections smaller than the semicircular
spaces formed between the parts 14a and 14b of the holding member
when the holding member 14a and 14b is assembled to hold the
operating wire 22 and the stopper 24, so that the holding member
14a and 14b can be freely moved with respect to the operating body
10.
The operating portion 3 is assembled in the following manner: The
parts 14a and 14b of the holding member are moved from the
positions shown in FIG. 8 in the directions shown by the arrows A
to hold the operating wire 22 in the grooves 28 and the stopper 24
in the cutout portions 26, and the upper and lower fitting portions
20a and 20b is fitted in the slit portion of the operating body 10.
Then, the slider 12 is moved in the direction of the arrow B to
engage the male threads 16 provided on the outer periphery of the
semi ring portions 18a and 18b of the holding member 14a and 14b
with female threads 32 provided on the inner periphery of the
distal end of the slider 12. Thus, the assembled operating portion
3 of the forceps instrument shown in FIGS. 5 to 7 is obtained.
Since the slider covers the holding member divided into two parts
and sandwiching the operating wire and the operating body, the
contacting area of the holding member and the slider is large, thus
the holding member will not be broken even if a strong force is
exerted on the slider. Further, the holding member is inserted
slidably in the slit portion of the operating body and receives no
surplus force in a direction perpendicular to the axial direction
during the assembly of the operating portion, so that the holding
member will not be broken even if the slider is moved with a strong
force. Moreover, since the holding member is divided into two
parts, the operating portion can be easily assembled and taken
apart.
The holding member is formed by either a resin or a plastic.
In the above embodiment, the upper and lower parts 14a and 14b of
the holding member has substantially symmetrical shapes with
respect to the central axis except for their proximal ends.
However, these shapes and the fixing of the holding member and the
slider may be varied as described below.
FIGS. 9 to 12 show an operating portion of a forceps instrument
according to a second embodiment of the present invention. As shown
in FIG. 10, an upper fitting portion 20a has a downward protruding
portion, and a lower fitting portion 20b has an indented portion,
so that an operating wire 22 is held between the upper and lower
fitting portions 20a and 20b. As shown in FIGS. 9 and 12, behind a
cutout portion 26 for receiving a stopper 24, the upper surface of
the lower fitting portion 20b is convex while the lower surface of
the upper fitting portion 20a is concave.
FIG. 13 shows a third embodiment of the present invention. A
holding member is divided into two upper and lower parts 14a and
14b. When an operating wire 22 and a stopper 24 are sandwiched by
these parts 14a and 14b, a circular flange portion 34 is formed in
the middle portion. When male threads at both ends of the holding
member are engaged with female threads of a slider 12, the outer
periphery of the slider 12 is level with the flange portion 34 so
that an integral operating portion 3 is assembled.
FIG. 14 shows a fourth embodiment of the present invention in which
the fixing method of a holding member 14a and 14b and a slider 12
is changed. In this embodiment, the holding member 14a and 14b is
provided at its proximal end with a flange portion 36a and 36b.
When male threads on the outer periphery of a ring-shaped collar 38
are engaged with female threads on the inner periphery of the
slider 12, the flange portion 36a and 36b is held between the
slider 12 and the ring-shaped collar 38 to fix the holding member
14a and 14b to the slider 12.
FIGS. 15 and 16 show a fifth embodiment of the present invention in
which the holding member of the first embodiment is replaced. As
shown in FIG. 15, a holding member 14 is formed by a single member
of polysulfone. That is, upper and lower holding portions 14a and
14b are connected by a connecting portion 40. As shown in FIG. 16,
the connecting portion 40 is bent to hold a stopper 24 between the
upper and lower holding portions 14a and 14b.
The present invention is not limited to the above embodiments, and
various changes and modifications may be made in the invention.
* * * * *